The great initial cost of present-day automobiles as well as high repair costs makes it very desirable to protect the vehicle to the greatest possible extent. One of the most frequently damaged areas on automobiles are the sides of the vehicle between the front and rear wheels, namely, the door areas. Manufacturers provide trim strips for these vulnerable areas with cushion inserts which offer some protection but not adequate protection, particularly from damaging blows caused by swinging doors of other vehicles in parking areas.
In recognition of this problem, the prior art contains some proposals to deal with it. Examples of the known prior art made of record herein under 37 C.F.R. 1.56 are the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
2,274,440 PA1 3,563,594 PA1 3,718,357.
The devices disclosed in the above patents and other known devices have not been accepted by vehicle manufacturers or by the purchasing public because of excessive cost, bulkiness, poor appearance and because the devices generally require some form of power operator which again adds to the cost of manufacturing, installation and use. It is a well known fact that automobile manufacturers resist the adoption of any improvement feature which tends to add significantly to the cost of the vehicle.
In light of the above, it is the object of this invention to provide a greatly simplified, low cost, entirely manually operated side protector for vehicles which will be acceptable to both manufacturers and the purchasing public. The device of the invention is very convenient to use and easy to install on the vehicle without any modification of the vehicle structure. The device cannot damage the vehicle and will serve to entirely eliminate the troublesome denting and scratching of the sides of the vehicle body encountered by every driver of an automobile, particularly in parking lots and garages.
The invention also possesses ornamental virtue and is constructed to support changeable lettering or identifying characters or ornamentation.
Another feature of the invention resides in its compactness while in the stowed or non-use position or during shipment in a box or carton. The device is adaptable to practically all vehicle makes and models and can be supplied in several sizes.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description.